This week’s full moon will also be a supermoon, the last of 2024 and the last we’ll see for quite some time.

So what makes the “Beaver Moon,” as it was called by the Native Americans, so special this month? Here’s what you need to know.

When will the supermoon rise in the sky?

According to Astronomy Magazine, the moon will reach its full phase Friday morning around 6:26 a.m. Central Standard Time.

That will happen just before sunrise in Chicago, which occurs at 6:40 AM

What is a supermoon?

According to NASA, a supermoon is formed when the moon is within 90% of its closest approach to Earth. That distance is approximately 221,938 miles, according to the agency.

Super moons appear slightly larger in the sky and a lot brighter than a moon at its zenith, or the furthest point from Earth in its orbit.

According to NASA, supermoons always appear consecutively, and there are usually three to four per year.

What makes this month’s supermoon special?

According to NASA, this month’s supermoon will be the last to occur during a full moon until October 2025, with nearly 11 months passing without a supermoon visible in the night sky.

According to the agency, there will be four consecutive supermoons between October 2025 and January 2026.